Photo Credit: Derek Blanks

Hall is receiving the second annual Voice of Inspiration Award from Variety on May 25 at the annual Reel Works ChangeMakers Gala. Also being honored is MACRO founder and CEO Charles D. King with the Reel Works ChangeMaker Award.

On May 25, Reel Works 2022 Changemakers Gala will be hosted as a live and virtual hybrid celebration honoring both industry change makers and the brilliant young student filmmakers at Reel Works who are changing the face of media today. Charles D. King will receive this year’s Reel Works ChangeMaker Award, and Regina Hall will be honored with VARIETY’s Voice of Inspiration Award in-person at Tribeca 360°. Broadway’s Bryan Terrell Clark returns to host following the 2021 ceremony, which celebrated the organization’s landmark 20th anniversary of training and credentialing BIPOC emerging filmmakers. The Gala is a fundraiser for the organization, and also a chance to honor industry leaders who are paving the way in terms of diversity and representation.

As awareness over the need to diversify Hollywood’s hair and makeup trailers continues to grow, the union that represents those artists has teamed up with entertainment workforce development program Reel Works to help bring more BIPOC stylists into the industry.

Danny Durr is a lighting genius. He has worked on a variety of projects including Euphoria, The Good Place, Veep, Insecure, Little Fires Everywhere, Malcolm & Marie, and countless commercials, music videos, and short films.

Listen to this week's podcast episode to learn more about Danny's journey and some tips and tricks on how to succeed in the film industry.

Danny has chosen to dedicate his episode to Reel Works. Reel Works mission is to empower the underserved New York City youth to share their stories through filmmaking, creating a springboard to successful careers in media and beyond. To get involved you can go to reelworks.org.

Helsen Sanabia is just 15 years old, but he already has the knowledge and the credits of your typical college film student. When discussing his craft, you might find him referencing directors like Wong Kar-wai or speaking about his own film, which recently screened at the MOMA.

How is this possible? Much of it is a testament to Sanabia’s own curiosity and drive, as well as the encouragement of his father, who introduced Sanabia to many influential films. But a large part is due to a Brooklyn-based organization called Reel Works.

The story: “Hannah Ha Ha” is a hyper-realistic slice of life family dramedy that questions the story American society tells millennials about what constitutes success. The 30,000 foot view is full of cynicism, but the heart of the film is the relationships and connections to one’s immediate surroundings that bring comfort and fulfillment to our daily lives.

The film, “Hannah Ha Ha,” is produced by Roger Mancusi, a Brooklyn Heights resident, and co-produced by Emily Freire, from East New York. They met through a mentorship through the Brooklyn-based filmmaking program Reel Works, which matches teens with professional filmmaker-mentors.

ViacomCBS teamed up with Reel Works and its MediaMKRS workforce development program—which aims to build a talent pool that reflects the diversity of New York City by matching young professionals with job training opportunities across media organizations, including ViacomCBS—for its Content for Change Academy. The program provides entry-level creative and production roles to young professionals, without requiring enrollment or graduation from a traditional college or university, with the ultimate goal of full-time employment following the three month program.

Script's Editor Sadie Dean speaks with Reel Works co-founder and Executive Director John C. Williams about the initiatives and programs at the Brooklyn based organization, his passion to foster young and diverse voices, and the importance of preparing these young creatives for the creative industry workforce.

Reel Works has announced a first-time partnership with their MediaMKRS workforce development program and documentary film/TV production company Jigsaw Productions, helmed by Academy Award®-winning documentarian Alex Gibney.

ViacomCBS Announces Participants of Its Content For Change Academy! Seven First Time Participants in Partnership with Reel Works Have Been Selected For The Inaugural Class.

We're excited to partner with ViacomCBS on their Content for Change Academy and join efforts toward seeing a more inclusive media and entertainment industry.

Reel Works had the opportunity to speak on “No Such Thing”, a podcast about Education in the Digital Age hosted by Marc Lesser.

Last night, Reel Works honored Issa Rae (Insecure), The Inclusion Rider Trio of Fanshen Cox, Tasmin Plater and Kalpana Kotogal with a “Changemaker” Award and Eddie Huang (Fresh Off The Boat) was honored with the Inaugural Variety “Voice of an Inspiration” Award. Broadway’s Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton) hosted the event and LL Cool J made a surprise appearance.

Two decades before diversity in film and TV went from a minor industry concern to a mandate, Reel Works became a pioneering force in teaching underserved youth about filmmaking and bringing them into the business.

Reel Works is a youth media and workforce readiness program that matches teens with professional filmmaker-mentors.

Reel Works is a Brooklyn based youth media and workforce readiness program that matches underprivileged BIPOC young adults with professional filmmaker-mentors as a pathway to success and into an industry that is notoriously difficult to break into…

On March 31st from 6:30 - 8:00 PM EST, Reel Works hosted a virtual Town Hall about "Inclusion in Media" on with not only some of the Ambassadors from the program but also Vella Lovell, who is currently starring in NBC's "Mr. Mayor".

WarnerMedia has teamed with New York-based youth program Reel Works for a program that teaches BIPOC young adults how to become post-production coordinators.